Packing for a house is different from packing for a hotel. You're not bringing everything you need — you're bringing the gap between what the house has and what your week looks like. Here's that gap, learned the hard way.
The things people always forget
- A cooler. Soft-sided, for the boat and the beach. Nobody remembers a cooler and everybody needs one by Tuesday.
- Beach chairs and an umbrella. Some houses have them, some don't — ask before you assume. Island Beach State Park has almost no natural shade.
- Water shoes. Bulkheads, docks, boat ramps, barnacles, and the odd bit of shell. Especially for kids.
- A power strip. Six people, fourteen devices, four outlets.
- Sunscreen — more than you think, plus after-sun. Sun off water is roughly a second sun.
- Bug spray. Salt marsh means greenhead flies in high summer and mosquitoes at dusk. Greenheads bite in daylight and do not care about your feelings.
- A hat that survives wind. Anything brimmed and loose is now in the bay.
- Motion sickness tablets if anyone's boating and unsure — take them before you leave the dock, not after you find out.
If you're bringing a boat
- Registration and insurance paperwork
- Dock lines and extra fenders — more than come with the boat
- Life jackets that actually fit each kid, plus the required adult vests and throwable
- A chart or a phone app with bay markers — the channel is your friend
- Spare drain plug. Ask any boat owner why this is on the list.
- Your boat's length, beam and weight sent to the owner in advance for the lift
Fishing and crabbing
- Two crab traps or hand lines, a long-handled net, a bucket
- Chicken legs for bait (buy them locally, not in the car for three hours)
- A light spinning rod or two and a small tackle box
- Enrollment in New Jersey's free Saltwater Recreational Registry — do it before you go
Food and kitchen
A well-equipped rental kitchen covers pots, pans, plates, a coffee maker and the basics. What it usually doesn't cover, and what you'll want on day one:
- Coffee you like, and filters that fit the machine you'll find
- Olive oil, salt, pepper, and whatever spice you cannot cook without
- Foil, zip bags, trash bags
- Dish soap and a sponge — the last guests used them
- A sharp knife if you're serious about it. Rental knives are rental knives.
Do one big grocery run on arrival day in Toms River or Bayville and top up mid-week. Buy the seafood locally and late in the week, not on day one.
For a house full of kids
- Life jackets in the right sizes — non-negotiable near a dock
- A few pool noodles and cheap sand toys (buy them here, leave them here)
- Two board games and a deck of cards for the rainy afternoon that is definitely coming
- A nightlight and a white noise app for a strange bedroom
- Band-aids, kids' pain reliever, and something for jellyfish stings and sunburn
What you can leave at home
- Beach towels for the house — most rentals provide bath linens; confirm and bring beach towels only.
- Hair dryers, irons, basic cookware. They're there.
- Nice clothes. One collared shirt, maximum. Nowhere here requires it.
- Every kayak you own if the house already has them on the dock — ask first and save the roof rack.
- Firewood — buy it local. New Jersey and most states restrict moving firewood across regions because of invasive pests, and it's a genuine rule, not a suggestion.
The night-before checklist
Charge everything. Screenshot the directions — cell service on the barrier island is patchy. Confirm your arrival window with the owner. Put the sunscreen, the swimsuits and one towel per person in a bag you can reach without unpacking the car, because somebody is getting in that water within four minutes of arrival whether the bags are inside or not.